Boat searched for weapons; nothing found, no arrests made says Commissioner

Mangalore - Tense atmosphere prevailed in the coastal city of Mangalore on Friday afternoon following a joint operation by Coastal Security Police Force and Panambur police based on rumours of illegal weapons transportation.

Claiming that they have received intelligence information of illegal weapon transportation to Mangalore, town police teams rushed to Old Port and searched "M S V Al-Jazeera," a cargo boat which came from Kalpeni, Lakshadweep.

However they couldn't find any illegal weapon inside the boat or in the port despite an hour long search with the help of sniffer dogs and other weapon detectors.

Unconfirmed sources said that coast guard has taken eight persons into custody for inquiry. Some people in Old Port also said that they saw police taking a few people on board the boat along with them. Coastal Security Police declined to confirm the report.

Meanwhile, Mangalore City Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh has clearly stated that the police did conduct a search operation at the Port but in vain. "The information of weapon transportation received by the police was wrong," he said.

Asked whether anyone was arrested for further investigation in this connection, Singh said: "No".

Source: CoastalDigest, 25 Dec 2010